


to (create) them all

by SailorChibi



Series: Pokemon verse [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hand wavy science, Jarvis lives, Nintendo - Freeform, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Training, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Pre-Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Protective Steve Rogers, Sass, Science, Steve Rogers has a crush, Team as Family, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony is Misunderstood, author knows nothing about copyright and legalities, civil war never happens in this verse, hammer is an idiot, high levels of sass, no civil war spoilers, pokemon are awesome, the team tries to apologize, tony does science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-05 08:45:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6697912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony agreed to build pokémon for the Barton children. But he's Tony Stark, and grand, ostentatious gestures when he cares for someone are what he does best. Why stop at the children when everyone on the team could use a cute, deadly companion?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was commissioned to write the second part of this, and I remain amazed that there was enough interest in this bizarre premise to warrant that. You guys are awesome. Also more feels crept in. Sorry.
> 
> Note: JARVIS is alive, Coulson is alive, Pietro is alive (somehow Clint's family still exists - still not sure how that one happened). Assume any other inaccuracies that don't match up with AOU is me blatantly ignoring canon.

“Sir. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are waiting for you. _Sir_.”

The sound of JARVIS’s voice barely registers, but it’s a lot harder to ignore the way the workshop is suddenly plunged into darkness. Tony blinks for several seconds, hands still elbow deep in the body of a pokémon, before looking up in confusion. He doesn’t dare move his hands; he’s been trying to get the configuration in these wings right for _weeks_ , and the slightest move could throw potentially throw him back to square one.

“What?”

“You have a meeting with Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes,” JARVIS repeats, and going by the hint of audible annoyance, this is not the first time they’ve had this conversation. “They’ve been waiting for the past ten minutes. Sergeant Barnes is starting to become restless. I thought it prudent to interrupt you.”

“Shit. I forgot. Lights, J.” Tony squints back down at his work, feeling a flicker of dismay. He doesn’t want to stop when he’s this close to getting it right, but he’s been working on a new arm for Bucky for way longer than his pokémon and there’s no way he’s messing up a chance to finally burn that monstrosity Hydra dared to call an arm. He very carefully eases his hands out of the delicate circuitry and stands up, swaying just a little, and can just make out Steve and Bucky waiting on the other side of the glass.

Thank god for A.I.’s that know better than to arbitrarily let people into the workshop. He tosses an old blanket over the pokémon and takes a few steps forward. “Let them in.”

The workshop door opens without delay, admitting them both. Neither one looks overly pleased by the length of the wait, and Tony quells an instinctive urge to put space between them. A soft chirp is the only warning he gets before [Minun](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/312.shtml) is agilely scaling his leg and shirt, ending up on his shoulder. The weight is familiar already, comforting, and Tony relaxes even as [Plusle](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/311.shtml) goes scuttling across the floor, squeaking welcomingly. Steve laughs and bends down to scoop her up. 

“Hello there,” he says fondly, and Plusle licks his nose.

“Stop flirting,” Tony says, and he’s not really sure who he’s talking to; Plusle _adores_ Steve, most likely the result of Tony’s own crush – god he hopes that no one ever figures that out or the teasing will be merciless - and even Minun has warmed up a lot to him since the two pokémon were first properly introduced to the team.

“Plus, plu, plus,” Plusle scolds, squirming out of Steve’s grip and leaping nimbly to the floor. 

“Because they’re not here to visit you, that’s why,” he says, holding still so that she can jump up too. “They’re here for Bucky’s arm?” He doesn’t mean to make it sound like a question, but that’s how it comes out.

Bucky takes a deep breath, like a kid about to climb in the dentist’s chair, and jerks his chin in a short nod. “I’ve been looking at the specs you sent me. They look pretty decent.”

Pretty decent? Tony has to bite his tongue to keep from saying the first thing that comes into his head, which is that the amount of money it took to build this arm surpassed the five million dollar mark a long time ago. The time that Tony has put into it alone is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the remark itself stings; he’s put as much into Bucky’s new arm as he did the last Iron Man suit, and that’s saying something. He forces a smile onto his face instead.

“I’m glad you approve,” he says when he’s certain that he can speak without the words coming out too sharply. “I can get Bruce down here if you’re interested in having it done today.”

“I’m not being put to sleep,” Bucky says sharply.

“You don’t have to be. It will hurt more if you’re awake, and in that case I’m definitely having Bruce down here to help JARVIS monitor your vital signs, but it’s your choice.” Tony turns away before he can see the looks on their faces because he doesn’t want to know if Steve is smiling or frowning right now. He feels coiled up, tension too tight, and that’s when Minun delicately licks his cheek. The scrape of tongue over his stubble makes his eyes burn, and he blinks rapidly as he goes to fetch Bucky’s arm.

He hasn’t let anyone else touch it; he fabricated most of the arm with the help of JARVIS, and then did the finer work himself. It’s a work of art, even if he’s the only one who thinks so. The arm has definitely benefitted from the work Tony’s been doing on the pokémon, and the easy way the elbow bends or the fingers wiggle when the appropriate wire is touched are a sight to behold. It’s as strong as Tony could make it while also being lightweight, and should give Bucky as much sensory information as a flesh and blood limb.

He sets the arm down on a spare table and makes a show of rattling around to get things ready, as though he hasn’t been prepared for this for well over a month now. Bruce comes in less than a minute later, and he spends a couple of moments conferring with JARVIS before he walks over to speak to Bucky. Tony pretends not to notice, accepting a cup of coffee from Dummy and downing it even though it’s long-since cold. He’ll need the caffeine to make it through this without passing out.

“Okay,” Bucky says loudly, cutting off whatever Bruce is saying to him, and he marches over and sits down in the chair. “Do your worst, Stark.”

Tony looks at him from under lowered lashes, biting his tongue so hard it hurts, and takes a seat, slipping on a communicator. He’s vaguely aware of Steve coming to hover somewhere over his left shoulder, but his whole world is very shortly consumed by the kind of shoddy work that will insure Hydra never actually takes over the world. Unhooking the arm is relatively simple, mostly because Hydra apparently did it on a regular basis, but putting the new one into place with all the appropriate connections and bio-feedback lines implanted into Bucky’s spine takes a lot longer. Fortunately, Bruce takes over the latter while Tony deals with the former.

Bucky is white-faced with pain for the removal of his old arm, gripping Steve’s hand until bones creak, and he grunts when Bruce slides the needle home in his spine. Tony acknowledges them only long enough to make sure Bruce doesn’t accidentally bang into him, hearing JARVIS’s steady voice in his ear alone and feeling the weight of Plusle and Minun against his ankles; it’s reassuring, not distracting, and amidst it all he feels a glow of pleasure when he touches a line to test the feedback and the muscles in Bucky’s arm twitch. 

Nearly five hours from the time Bucky sits down, Tony straightens up. “Done.”

“That’s it?” Steve says, looking back and forth between them. “Don’t you need to turn it on?”

“It’s been live since the moment Bruce placed the feedback lines in,” says Tony. He definitely has a headache now, pulsing in an ugly way at the back of his temples. Plusle makes a displeased sound against his ankle. “Go ahead, Barnes. Give it a try.”

Bucky’s tentative, that much is clear, flexing his fingers slowly. A look of wonder spreads across his face as he touches the metal fingers to his human fingers. “I can feel that.”

“Of course you can,” Tony says tiredly, reaching down to haul Minun and Plusle into his arms so he won’t step on them when he stands. “I’ve been playing around with that technology for well over a year now, trying to perfect it. I used something similar to build Plusle and Minun, though mostly they were helpful in perfecting joints and movements – congratulations, you have a lot in common with a pokémon.” He stops short, realizing that Bucky, Steve and Bruce are all staring at him. 

“How long have you been working on this arm?” Bucky says.

Tony blinks rapidly, casting his mind back over what he just said, and grimaces. Yeah, he never meant for that tidbit of information to become public knowledge. In the best, most casual voice he can come up with, he says, “On that arm in particular? Maybe a couple months.”

“And the previous incarnations?” Bruce says, because Bruce knows him too well.

“About eighteen months,” Tony mutters, shooting him a glare. He squirms under the force of three incredulous stares, adding defensively, “What? It’s not something I’ve ever done before, and I can’t have the Stark name attached to a shoddy product. I had to practice. You should’ve seen the first one I came up with. It still made Hydra’s work look like a two-year-old made it, but it was nowhere near my standard.”

Bucky just keeps staring at him. “You didn’t even know if I’d let you touch me.”

“Sounds dirty,” Tony says, aiming for a leer, coming out flat instead. “No, I didn’t. But I thought I should be prepared if you ever trusted me enough to do it. Now, not to rush you out of here or anything, but I have work to do and time is money. A lot of money, in my case, probably enough to make Cap go into a full-on rant about inflation. So get out.”

“You should rest,” Bruce says, since Bucky and Steve appear to be speechless. Well, Bucky is speechless. Steve is looking at Tony with an indefinable expression on his face. It’s a look Tony has never seen before, and that makes him nervous enough to agree to Bruce without much protest. Anything to make Steve stop looking at him like that.

“Yeah, fine,” he says. “Dummy, clean up in here while I’m gone.”

Dummy whirs obligingly, and Tony feels unbearably awkward as the four of them file into an elevator. He takes out his phone and checks his email just to give his hands something to do, but can’t help watching as Bucky tests the new arm, lifting his arm over his head before letting it fall. It moves fluidly, just like a flesh limb, and with Bucky’s shirt sleeve rolled down, it just looks like he’s wearing a metal glove. Definitely some of Tony’s finest work, and he’s pretty sure Bucky will spend the next several days experimenting. He wishes he could hang around to see it, but knows better than to ask.

“I’ve sent you the updated specs so you’ll have some idea of what you can do now,” he says to his phone, just as the elevator doors open. “Try to go at least a week without breaking anything.”

Bucky snorts, but all he says is a surprisingly grateful, “Thanks, Stark.”

“Do you need help?” Steve asks when Bucky and Bruce have stepped out onto the communal floor. “Getting to bed, I mean. You’re swaying.”

Tony didn’t realize. He stops that immediately, straightening up and painting another leer on. “If you come upstairs to bed with me, I’m not letting you leave.”

Steve’s eyebrows go up. “I don’t know why you’d think I’d have a problem with that,” he says calmly. “But maybe that’s best left for a day when you’re not practically collapsing where you stand. I prefer my lovers to be a little more alert when I take them to bed.” He backs out of the elevator, and Tony’s left staring at the doors in befuddled silence as they sweep closed and the elevator starts to rise.

“Did that really just happen?” he says out loud. “No. No, there is no way that Steve Rogers just propositioned me. I must be even more tired than I thought.”

“Min,” Minun says, in that tone which conveys that she thinks Tony is being an idiot.

He points a finger at her. “None of your sass.”

Minun rolls her eyes and scampers out of the elevator when it stops; Plusle hops down from Tony’s shoulder, and they both go sprinting across the floor directly to Tony’s bedroom. By the time he follows, they’ve made themselves comfortable right in the middle of the mattress. Tony tries not to smile, but he can’t help it. He hasn’t slept in a bed this frequently since he was dating Pepper, but Minun and Plusle adore his bed and aren’t above giving him a little shock if he tries to pass out on the couch one too many times. 

He falls asleep pretty much the second he hits the mattress, and doesn’t wake up until JARVIS’s quiet voice infiltrates the bedroom some ten hours later. Tony still feels wiped, but he’s close enough to the end goal that it gets him out of bed. He stumbles into the small kitchen on the way to the elevator and stops short when he spots the cup of coffee sitting on the counter. Upon closer examination, it’s still hot and prepared exactly the way he likes it.

“J?” he asks, rubbing his eyes, just in case it’s a mirage. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s hallucinated coffee.

“Agent Barton left it for you two minutes ago.”

Both of Tony’s eyebrows go up. Clint? He could understand Bucky or Steve leaving it for him as a thank you, but Clint? There is absolutely no reason for the team’s resident archer to be leaving him coffee. He picks the mug up carefully, half-expecting that he’s going to taste salt or something equally horrible because Clint’s an asshole like that, but it’s just coffee sweetened with sugar. 

“Plu?” 

“What? Oh, yeah, coming.” He walks over to the elevator, where Minun and Plusle are waiting, and contemplates his coffee the whole way down, trying to remember whether or not he’s done anything recently that Clint would be thanking him for. But he can’t come up with anything. The last time Tony upgraded or made new arrows was almost a month ago; the pokémon have been taking up all of his spare time and then some. 

Because that’s his next surprise upgrade for the team: pokémon for all of them, not just the Barton children. Of course, the Avengers don’t need unassuming bodyguards the way the kids do, but Minun and Plusle have been _very_ helpful in battle. Tony will relish the time that the two of them got behind Loki and shocked him until the day he dies. Which might actually be sooner rather than later considering how pissed off Loki was when he left, but whatever.

It’s taken him close to four months, but now that he’s figured out the configuration of the wings he’s almost finished. He just has to tweak a few things here and there, finish up some paint jobs, do a little – 

Oh. Huh. Tony cocks his head at the sight of his table. It looks different from last night because Dummy, You and Butterfingers cleaned up, but that’s not the only reason. There’s a plate sitting there, and on that plate is a sandwich made from Laura’s homemade bread, plump with lettuce, tomato, cheese and turkey, a cut-up apple, and a handful of potato chips. Plus another mug of hot coffee to replace the one in Tony’s hand, which is now empty.

“… J?” Tony says again.

“Captain Rogers, sir.”

Steve. Okay. That at least makes a little sense, though it’s still weird. The food does look appetizing, though, and his stomach is pointedly growling now that he’s had some sleep. Tony sits down and eats, shoving Minun away with his foot when she gets a little too curious, and then sets down to work. He tells himself he’s going to put the two weird occurrences out of his mind and not think about them anymore.

And that would work, except it keeps happening. Every time he surfaces from the workshop, there’s coffee and food waiting for him. Hell, even when he doesn’t surface, someone brings it down to him – usually Steve or Bruce, but sometimes Coulson or Clint. A couple of times, Bucky brings down cookies and the best hot chocolate that Tony’s ever had. 

That’s not all of it, either. Normally he stumbles up from the workshop to find movie night is well on its way, but the last several times to start without him. And then Natasha stops giving him that weird deadly stare and spreads her favorite blanket over the both of them during movie night. Tony spends most of the ensuing two movies too terrified to move. Bucky shares the popcorn instead of hogging it. Clint keeps refilling his hot chocolate without Tony having to ask. 

“It is weird, right?” he says to Plusle a little desperately, trying not to pretend that he’s not hiding in his workshop, which is in lock-down mode. After Wanda cornered him and very stiffly apologized for knocking the suit off course during the battle, with the Vision hovering behind her like an overprotective boyfriend (and wow, that’s a visual Tony did not need) and Pietro skulking around in the doorway behind them, he staged a strategic retreat to try and figure out what the hell is wrong with his team.

Bruce actually went out and purchased new equipment, which he then invited Tony to improve. Thor brought back him back a variety of trinkets from Asgard, all magical and all for the purpose of experimentation. Clint, Laura and Coulson invite him out for a dinner with the kids and then act all disappointed when he says no. Rhodey, Sam and Pietro are the only ones acting halfway normal, and that’s because Rhodey’s been off on some military mission and Tony doesn’t really have much interaction with the latter.

Steve is being the weirdest of all, hands down. Ever since Ultron, Tony’s been trying to keep a little more space between them. Which is hard, given that he kind of likes Steve the way he used to really like Pepper. Tony’s just not enough of a masochist to force himself on Steve, because it’s bad enough to know that Steve will never like him that way – doesn’t even like him at all, really – without it being spelled out in what would be the most painfully awkward but kind rejection ever.

That doesn’t seem to be stopping Steve, though. He keeps inviting Tony out for lunches where it’s just the two of them, and sitting next to him during movie night or at dinner (or anywhere, really, the look on Fury’s face during the last debrief when Steve blatantly stole Bruce’s regular seat was amazing), and at least three times now, Tony’s fallen asleep on the couch only to wake up in bed with the covers pulled over him, like Steve’s taken the time to tenderly tuck him in.

Plusle just shrugs. “Plus,” she says, which helps exactly none.

“Right. Okay. JARVIS –”

“Your team has not been replaced with aliens,” JARVIS says very patiently. “Nor have they been replaced by cyborgs. I can detect no difference in them from three months ago. There is no record of interference, magical or otherwise.”

“Right,” Tony says again, and then, “Fuck. What the hell is going on? Do you think they know? I bet they know,” he mutters, suddenly glum, because he was looking forward to seeing the surprise and awe on their faces when they found out about the pokémon for the first time. It’s been a bitch to keep secret, since Pepper keeps asking what’s been occupying so much of his time, and he’s had more visitors to the workshop in the past two weeks than he's had in the last six months, and Clint won’t stay out of the vents no matter how much Tony rants about the possibilities of gas leaks.

He looks at the bodies of the pokémon around him and for maybe thirty seconds, seriously contemplates giving up on the project.

The thing is, though… he doesn’t want to. Plusle and Minun are more than just helpful during battle; they go _everywhere_ with him. As evidenced by the ever-popular Facebook page that exclusively features pictures of Tony and his pokémon. Considering that the most liked pictures are the ones where Tony is doing something mortifying, like smiling dopily at Minun and Plusle while wearing the suit, he’s 99% sure the page is being run by the evil combination of Laura and Natasha.

Having them around is comforting, much as he's loathe to admit it. Like a really awesome pet that can shock the hell out of people. Except better, because they don’t need to eat or sleep and that’s valuable when it comes to a team of superheroes, but they’re still up for a cuddle any time. Not that Tony ever cuddles them. But still. The option is there. Having a dog or a cat around? Not a good idea. A pokémon? Tony challenges anyone to say that’s not one of the best ideas he’s ever had.

So what if the team is sucking up to him to get their pokémon? It doesn’t really change Tony’s original objective, which is to provide a new weapon for the team (and Coulson, Pepper, Darcy, Jane, Laura, and the kids) that is both low key and can also serve as a comfort of some kind. If they want that, of course. Tony’s not sure if they will. He hasn’t forgotten the initial reaction to the pokémon. But he can’t stop himself from hoping, either; he’s always been shitty at that.

“Min,” Minun says, nuzzling against his ankle. Her fur is warm, little sparks of static electricity filling the air between them, and Tony swallows hard. He can’t give up. 

“Okay. Okay. So what if they know and they’re sucking up to me to get the pokémon that much faster? Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. We’re going to do this.” He swipes a hand down Minun’s back. “JARVIS, patch me through to Pepper.”

“Calling Miss Potts.”

The screen in front of Tony goes fuzzy, then blinks into perfect clarity. “Hello, Mr. Stark,” Pepper says, looking surprisingly relaxed. She’s dressed in a green silk robe and her hair is down around her shoulders, no make-up, and a glass of white wine in her right hand. Tony stares at the glass and then looks around for the time, suddenly realizing that it’s just after 2am. 

“Um… I can call back?” he tries. The last time he called Pepper after midnight during one of his workshop marathons, she threatened to – well. Let’s just say that it was sufficiently threatening and leave it at that.

Pepper actually smiles at him. “It’s fine. I couldn’t sleep. I was already awake and going through some documents. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to find out where you were in dealing with Nintendo.”

“Ah, yes.” Pepper shifts, uncrossing her legs. “Well, they weren’t very happy to find out what you’d done through the media. And even less happy when they realized you were using the authentic voices, which you’d retrieved by having JARVIS hack their systems. It’s funny, people don’t seem to like it when they find out that Tony Stark has been messing around in their private systems.” She raises a forbidding eyebrow at him, because they’ve had this discussion before.

Tony winces. Yeah, he didn’t think that through. “But?”

“But,” she echoes, sighing, “I pointed out that it was actually good publicity for them. The general outlook for the Avengers is very positive right now, and pokémon sales skyrocketed after that first picture of you, Plusle and Minun was taken. Their sales and stocks have only continued to rise. Also, they seemed very taken with the idea of having pictures of Hawkeye with a pokémon.”

“I still can’t believe they like him the best,” Tony says, pouting. He gets that the majority of Japan wouldn’t adore Captain America, but Iron Man is so much better than Hawkeye. There’s just no accounting for taste.

“Focus, Tony. I got legal involved and it took some doing, but we’ve managed to work out a contract with them. You’re free to the use of any authentic pokémon voice and/or design and/or official biographies, as long as you don’t replicate them for public use without Nintendo’s express and _written_ permission. That means as soon as you get it in your head to start designing pokémon for the public, you need to let me know.”

“I won’t be.”

“Tony –”

“I mean it, Pep,” Tony says, and he does. It’s all well and fine to provide the team with pokémon because he knows the team; he knows they’ll be careful. But everyone else? No. He’s seen what happens when people who aren’t responsible get a hold of power. It never ends well. The last thing Tony wants is people staging pokémon battles that get out of control, or using his pokémon in crimes, or whatever else humanity is capable of coming up with. Even if he came up with a modified pokémon that wasn’t dangerous – light shows instead of electricity or fire, like the children are getting, for example – and installed his failsafe, he’s positive there would still be problems. That’s a path that Tony is not nearly ready to go down. 

He forces a smile, looking back at her. “It’s too expensive right now. You know how much these models cost me to build in both time and materials. We’d have to work on some kind of mass production line, and I just don’t have the time for that right now.”

Pepper studies his face like she knows there’s more to it than that, but nods. “I agree. It’s also written into the contract that you are absolutely not allowed to hack their systems again. Doing so is considered an immediate violation of the terms of the contract and they won’t hesitate to sue you if you do. Technically pokémon are their creation, which means that if they sued you and won – which could very well happen – they could take Minun and Plusle away.”

The thought makes Tony go cold all over. Plusle’s head shoots up and she hisses at the screen. Unthinkingly, Tony scoops them both up into his lap. Minun’s little claws clutch at his shirt and she chitters angrily at Pepper, who smiles. It’s that soft, fond little smile she gets, the one that he saw less and less as time when on during their dating phase, but sees more and more now that they’re back to just being friends. 

“We’d fight them if it came to that, but all I’m saying is let’s not go down that road if we can avoid it. Right now they’re willing to work with us and that’s a good thing.” Pepper’s expression softens. “How are you coming along with them, anyway?”

With effort, Tony pushes aside the fear and says, “I think I’m just about done. The hardest part was figuring out how some of the attacks were going to happen. But JARVIS compiled a ton of data and the kinks are just about worked out. I didn’t even realize how different pokémon could be until I started building the ones for the team, really, it required almost a completely new system.”

“But you’re ready for me to requisition the voices from Nintendo?”

“Yeah. I have a few more little things to fiddle with, like making sure a couple of them can actually fly, but that’s it,” Tony says, excitement replacing the last of his fear. Another reason why he can’t give up now: he’s so close. He can’t _not_ bring the pokémon to life now, and it’s going to look more than a little odd if he suddenly has a bunch of pokémon running around the place with no particular trainers.

“Amazing,” Pepper mutters fondly, shaking her head. “Alright. Send me the list of names and I’ll see about getting what you need from Nintendo. I’ll put a rush on it.”

“You’re the best, Pep.”

She winks at him. “I know. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

“That’s all, Miss Potts,” Tony says, and it stings a little as he looks at her, at how beautiful she is, knowing that at one point, he would’ve been able to touch her. He ruined that, ruined them, and it took a long time before their relationship returned to any semblance of normalcy. It’s one of the (many) reasons why he hesitates to approach anyone else, because the team is too important for that. 

“Goodnight,” Pepper says, oblivious to his thoughts, and the screen goes dark. Tony stares at it for a few minutes more, lost in memories. Pepper still spends a lot of time in Malibu – she moved after their break-up, saying that she could run Stark Industries just as well from there, and that she needed the space – but she’s been visiting New York more often now. Sometimes, he misses the days when her voice was the only thing that could get him out of an engineering binge.

Plusle gives him a small shock. Tony jumps; it feels like touching something metal after a build-up of static electricity, but it’s more than enough to get his attention. When he looks down, she and Minun are staring at him with identical impatient expressions. Minun huffs at him and nimbly leaps down from his lap, making her way over to the bodies of the pokémon. She scrambles up onto the table and pointedly pats the sheet covering them.

“Yeah,” Tony says, unable to stop a smile. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do this.”


	2. Chapter 2

Tony Stark is the most frustrating person on the planet, and Steve still isn’t sure how he fell in love with him. It happened before Bucky, before Ultron, but his feelings have never changed. That reckless, sarcastic, generous, wonderful man gave Steve a home – gave them all a home – and never once asked for anything in return. If anything, Tony goes out of his way to avoid them. At first, Steve attributed that to anger. Now, he’s got a sneaking suspicion that it’s because Tony thinks the team is mad at him.

Which, to be fair, was true at first. But you can love someone and be mad at them, and Tony doesn’t seem to get that. It’s entirely possible that Tony’s never had anyone to prove that to him (and Steve doesn’t dwell on this for long, he can’t, because it makes him so _angry_ at Howard Stark that he inevitably ends up destroying punching bags in the gym). So Steve has no idea if Tony feels the same way towards him, or if this is just a pipe dream. He knows that he wants the opportunity to find out. 

That’s where the frustration comes in, because Tony doesn’t make it easy. After he created the pokémon for Lila and Cooper – and didn’t Clint feel absolutely terrible after that – it was like the whole team collectively realized just how much Tony does for them. Call it a wake up in the rudest way possible, especially after Tony still tried to give the pokémon away even though he was clearly desperate to keep them. 

So they’ve been trying to bring Tony into the folds more and stop him from being on the outside looking in, but Tony’s not making it easy. He treats their advances with a wariness that hurts, like he’s expecting any kindness to be suddenly jerked out from under him. And Steve knows they deserve it, that the gap between Tony and the team has grown exponentially since Ultron, but that doesn’t make it any easier to fix. He’s running out of ideas, though he’s not nearly ready to give up.

He sits back in his chair and looks around the room. After the decision was made to set up a secondary base at the building in upstate New York and move back to the tower (and yeah, okay, it wasn’t so much a decision as they drifted back to the tower one by one, and no one wanted to leave, not even the twins), Tony had knocked out a couple of walls and made the communal living room even bigger. They need it. There’s a lot of people assembled around Steve.

Laura, Clint, and Coulson are all sitting on one of the couches. Lila and Cooper are playing. Nathaniel is in Coulson’s lap, sleeping. Natasha is sitting on the ground with the children, talking to them in low tones. On the couch beside them, Thor is leaning over a tablet with Jane and Darcy. Then there’s Wanda, Pietro and the Vision. Rhodes’s perched on the end of that couch, beside Pietro, watching some movie.

Sam and Bucky are sharing the same couch as Steve. Bruce is sitting in the huge easy chair that everyone fights over, because it’s the most comfortable, reading. It’s comfortable, the kind of night they’ve had in spades since moving into the tower, but Steve’s never felt Tony’s absence as deeply as he does right now. It’s his fault. He’s always loved Tony, but he let that – and their relationship – fall to the backburner due to things deemed more important. How might things have changed if Steve hadn’t been so stubborn?

An elbow digs into his side, none-too-gentle, and Sam huffs, “I can hear you thinking over the sound of the movie. Knock it off.”

“What, did you develop psychic powers?” Steve says, tightening the muscles of his abdomen so that Sam grunts, wincing a little, and stops with the elbow.

“No, but I’m getting awfully tired of you mooning over Tony. Just go talk to the guy, Steve. Stop dancing around.”

“I’m not dancing around!”

“Yeah, you are.” Sam shoots him an amused look. “You always do this because you don’t like using your words. Well, I have it on good authority that Tony Stark is just as oblivious as you are. He’ll never pick up on what you mean without you coming right out and saying it.”

JARVIS told Steve the same thing, though in a far less kind tone. Steve gets the feeling that the A.I. doesn’t really think he’s worthy of Tony, but he also isn’t stopping Steve’s advances. Which does give him some hope that maybe Tony feels the same way, and that’s why JARVIS hasn’t cut him off at the pass – has even helped a little, by suggesting places or restaurants that Tony loves to visit. 

Steve frowns back, opens his mouth intending to respond, and finds the words dying before they ever get out. Because Tony’s just walked into the room, Plusle on his shoulder and Minun tucked into the crook of his arm, and he’s beaming. His eyes are a little manic and he’s covered in grease, and he looks so _happy_ and it hurts. Because this is how Tony used to look in the months following the Battle of New York, when the team was just getting to know each other, and Tony had come up with a new invention, usually for one of them.

Nowadays, he usually just quietly summons them down to his workshop and hands over the gifts with very little fanfare. Or, more frequently, he’ll leave his inventions in places that he knows they’ll look. Rhodes received sneak upgrades to the suit. Steve’s found a new uniform on his bed. Natasha found a new Widow Bite in her dresser. Pietro and Wanda both found new uniforms, too, and the genuine shock on their faces was both touching and painful – he still wishes Tony had been there to see their reactions.

“Tony?” Bruce says, looking up from his book and raising an amused eyebrow. He’s trying not to smile and doing a very poor job of it.

“I made something,” Tony says, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “For everyone, for all of you, and I don’t know if you’ll like them, but I did what I could to make sure they’ll be helpful – well, as helpful as they can be, I tried to keep it in perspective this time,” he adds, looking at Coulson. “I kept in mind what you said about kids and dangerous toys and this time it’s just –”

“Tones,” Rhodes says, equally amused and fond. “What did you build?”

Tony takes a deep, nervous breath. “Pokémon.”

“Pokémon?” Steve repeats, baffled.

Tony’s eyes flick towards him and he swallows, throat bobbing, before nodding. “You can – JARVIS can tell you all about them, I have… I have a thing Pepper needs me to get ready for. Some Hammer thing. Bye.” He wheels around and heads for the door, but Rhodes practically leaps across the room to grab his arm.

“Whoa. You can’t just drop a bombshell like that and run away.”

“Pepper –”

“Can wait,” Rhodes says gently. “We’d rather hear about your inventions from you. You’re the one who took the time to build them.” He’s talking to Tony, but his warning look sweeps around the room, fixating on Steve in particular. 

Steve meets his gaze squarely, unflinching, and the tension crackles between them for a few seconds before Tony says, "Okay. I - J?"

"One moment, sir," JARVIS says.

The elevator opens up behind Tony. Steve finally looks away from Rhodes, automatically looking to assess the threat of any new arrivals. At first, he's not really sure what he's seeing. He's not really familiar with pokémon, but he was expecting more creatures that look like Minun and Plusle. Instead, there's a variety in all different shapes and sizes, from a round pink ball to a yellow mouse to a couple that fly.

"Okay. Roll call," Tony says, clapping his hands, and it's like he switches smoothly into the Tony Stark that the media loves to hate. "Brucie-bear, you're first."

Bruce raises an eyebrow, but sets his book aside and gets up. Tony bends down and scoops up the pink ball, offering it to him. "Meet [Jigglypuff](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/039.shtml)," he says. "She's a combination fairy and normal type pokémon. I've got dossiers for everyone for their attacks and everything, but Jigglypuff is special."

"Special?" Bruce echoes, sounding slightly wary. Steve doesn't blame him. 

"Jigglypuff's special attack is called 'Sing'. It puts anyone who listens to it to sleep," says Tony. "I have... there's an old Stark Industries prototype that would paralyze anyone who heard it. It was based on sound waves. And it worked, but I deemed it too dangerous and didn't allow it to go to production." His smile is strange, and the look on Rhodes's face is not good. "I modified it a little. The waves will make anyone listening to them fall sleep as long as they're wearing a special transmitter. If you're interested, I can modify the communicator that I built to withstand the Hulk to include the transmitter."

Bruce goes very still. "Tony -"

"Only if you want it," Tony adds quickly. "I don't - I trust you. But I know... I mean, if you feel you need it. It's an option." He thrusts Jigglypuff into Bruce's arms. Bruce, looking a little overwhelmed, takes the pokémon.

"Barton family," Tony says, spinning towards them. The kids perk up immediately. Tony points to each of them, then to a corresponding pokémon, saying almost too quickly to follow, "Kid Barton number one, you get a [Seedot](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/273.shtml). Kid Barton number two, you get a [Sylveon](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/700.shtml). Don't worry, they're primary defensive based," he adds, somewhat absently. "Mrs. Barton, you get a [Butterfree](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/012.shtml). Also primarily defensive. Clint, you're getting a [Golbat](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-dp/042.shtml). And Agent, you get [Sableye."](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/302.shtml)

There's a few long seconds of silence. The kids look delighted. Lila's the one who reacts first, throwing herself off of the couch and at her pokémon with a squeal of glee. Connor is right behind her. Laura follows them slowly, holding Nathaniel in her arms, staring at the giant butterfly with a dazed expression.

"A big bat," Clint says finally. "You built me a bat."

Tony shoots him a smirk. "Well, bats are blind and you're deaf. You can see how I thought you'd get along," he says, aiming for innocent and failing by a mile. 

Clint just keeps staring at him. "I can't believe you built me a bat."

This time, Tony ignores him. He spins to face Thor and the girls. Again, the elevator opens, spilling more pokémon into the room. "Big guy, you get a [Raikou](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/243.shtml). Pokémon god of thunder. Your lightening will boost its attacks and vice versa. Darcy, you get a [Pikachu](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/025.shtml). Jane, you get a [Marill](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/183.shtml)."

"Oh my god, I love Pikachu!" Darcy exclaims. "This is so cool. Jane, this is so cool!" She clutches at Jane's arm.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor says slowly, "but -"

Tony doesn't wait for the rest. He's already moving on. "Pietro, you get [Persian](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/053.shtml). Fast as I could make it. Wanda, you get [Gothorita](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/575.shtml). She's a psychic pokémon. You should be able to link your powers through her and... I don't know, do what you will." He waves a dismissive hand. "Vision, you get [Porygon-Z](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/474.shtml)." 

Steve can't help staring at the mismatched pokémon. He wonders if Tony made a mistake somewhere along the line. Vision looks equally dubious.

The elevator opens against before Tony can continue. Pepper walks in, holding a tablet. "Tony, you're late and I -" She stops short, eyes widening.

"Perfect timing, Pep. You get [Ninetails](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/038.shtml)," Tony says, gesturing to the beautiful, fox-like pokémon. "And Rhodey, love of my life, you get [Lucario](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/448.shtml)."

"I get... what?" Pepper says weakly.

"Sam, you get [Growlithe](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/058.shtml). Barnes, you're getting [Ninjask](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/291.shtml). Natasha, [Sneasel](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/215.shtml). Steve, [Braviary](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/628.shtml). There, done. What was that you were saying about me being late? You're absolutely right; I better get moving." Tony is out of the room before anyone can do much more than just stand there and blink in astonishment.

A baffled silence falls over the room. Steve stares and keeps staring, as though blinking will make the pokémon disappear. It doesn't. The bird that Tony pointed out to him - Braviary? - gracefully spreads its wings and launches itself off of the back of the couch. It swoops over to Steve, giving him a better look. Deep blue feathers underneath, a beautiful shade of red on top, and the white plumage around its face - no guesses as to why Tony picked this one for him. Automatically, Steve sticks an arm out. He's shocked by the weight as Braviary settles delicately on his arm, razor sharp claws pinching even through the material of his shirt.

As though that's some kind of signal, chaos breaks out. The reactions are ranging from shocked to confused to delighted to everywhere in between, while the pokémon as a whole seem absolutely thrilled. It's Clint who cuts through it, lifting two fingers to his lips and letting loose with a sharp whistle, just as Sam's pokémon gets a little over-excited and sets the curtains on fire. Jane's pokémon races over, opens its mouth, and spews water all over the curtains, Wanda, Bucky, and their pokémon.

"Oops?" Sam offers weakly, blinking at the smoking curtains.

"Okay," Steve says, hoping that might be enough to restore some order. He can feel a headache building in his temples, even though the serum means he doesn't even get headaches anymore. That's just Tony Stark for you, though. Breaking the laws of science left, right and center. He lifts his free hand and rubs a hand over his face.

"So this is what he's been working so hard on," Pepper says when Steve doesn't continue. Steve looks over at her just in time to see Pepper hesitantly laying a hand on the beautiful fox. "I wondered. He's been putting in so many hours of overtime - I thought he was working on the suit, or maybe your arm." She inclines her head at Bucky, though she doesn't look away from her pokémon. "I never expected something like this."

"No one could expect this," Rhodes says dryly, hands on his hips. His pokémon is mirroring him. "This is Tony we're talking about. Just when you think you've got him figured out, he goes and surpasses your expectations completely."

Also true, and one of the things that Steve loves most about their resident genius. He just wishes Tony weren't the type to drop gifts and literally run in the other direction. "JARVIS," he says. "Tony said something about you explaining these pokémon to us in better detail?"

"Indeed, Captain," JARVIS says pleasantly. "If you'll turn your attention to the elevator."

Half-afraid that he might see even more pokémon coming out, Steve obeys. Instead, it's just Dummy, which is a new kind of shock all its own. Dummy hardly ever leaves the safety of the workshop. The little 'bot wheels forward, beeping uncertainly, clawed hand clutching a bag. Dummy comes to a stop in front of Steve and offers the bag to him. Steve very slowly takes it and peeks inside, frowning when he sees a bunch of red rectangles. He's never seen anything like them before, and he's not really sure what they're supposed to be or how they're going to help.

Dummy chirps at him, nudging his arm, and Steve can't help his affectionate smile. He puts the bag down carefully, gives Dummy a gentle pat, and picks up one of the red rectangles. He discovers that it has a blue light on the end of it, and it appears to open somehow. Everyone in the room is watching him. Lila lets out a squeak. Steve looks at her, startled, and accidentally moves the rectangle just a little. Just enough. The blue light flashes twice and the rectangle opens, revealing a touch-screen. A feminine voice starts to speak.

"Braviary. The valiant pokémon. They fight for their friends without any thought about danger to themselves. One can carry a car while flying."

"Oh my god, he made a pokédex!" Lila says, sounding awed. She's still got her arms around her pokémon, and she hauls it along with her as she rushes over and grabs one of the rectangles out of the bag. "This is so cool! Look, Cooper!" She points the rectangle at her pokémon.

"Sylveon. A fairy pokémon. It sends a soothing aura from its ribbon-like feelers to calm fights. It also wraps its feelers around the arm of its beloved Trainer and walks with him or her."

"Does anyone else feel like they've stepped off the face of reality?" Sam says faintly.

"This is the coolest thing _ever_ ," Darcy replies, her eyes shining. She's hugging her mouse pokémon very tightly.

"If I may," JARVIS interjects. "Sir built a pokédex for all of you. It contains a comprehensive list of all pokémon, as well as finer details about each of your pokémon. Including their attacks. If you would, Captain Rogers, please tap the touch screen once. FRIDAY will tell you more details about Braviary."

"Attacks," Steve mutters. This is surreal. He does as JARVIS says.

"Braviary. A flying pokémon. It's known weaknesses include ice and flying," FRIDAY recites. Her voice is a little more mechanical than JARVIS, but pleasant enough to listen to. "One of its strongest attacks is Wing Attack. Braviary uses its massive wings to inflict damage on its opponent."

Massive is right. Steve shakes his head, flipping the rectangle - pokédex, jesus - shut. This is all a little too much. He's gotten used to seeing Minun and Plusle around the tower, but having all of these pokémon in the same room is overwhelming. He had no idea there were so many, or that they could look so different - or that Tony would take the time to build them for _everyone_. He catches Natasha's eye, knowing that she's thinking the same thing. Tony has basically been hiding from the team for months now, and while Steve can't say he's surprised Tony went this far - it's humbling.

"Miss Potts," JARVIS says. "You asked that I remind you when it was 3pm exactly."

Pepper startles and grabs for her phone. "Oh my god, is it that time already? Damnit, I was supposed to be there with him... Turn the television on please, JARVIS. Tony was asked to make a public appearance at the HammerTech Expo today," she adds to no one in particular as JARVIS obeys. 

"Oh boy," Rhodes says under his breath. "That's just asking for trouble."

"Surely it will be fine," says Thor. "I have seen this tech of Hammer. Is it nowhere near the quality of Tony's." He eyes his pokémon with frankly far more speculation than Steve is comfortable with. Before the night is through, there's going to be a major thunderstorm.

It's Natasha who responds. "Tony and Justin Hammer have never gotten along. Ever. Hammer constantly tries to show Tony up, but his tech is so shoddy that it can't even hold a candle to Tony. Meanwhile, Tony takes every opportunity to rub it in his face. Though it's not unwarranted," she concludes, folding her arms. "Hammer is a real piece of work. If he would spend more time improving the quality of his work, instead of desperately trying to one-up Tony by copying his designs and selling them to the highest bidder, he could actually make something of himself."

The news coverage of HammerTech Expo is actually pretty boring at first. There’s not much going on. The news reporter, a forced smile on her face that is not unlike the one Tony wears so much now, follows Justin Hammer around as Hammer drones on about his latest innovations. To be fair, if it weren’t for the fact that Steve lives in Avengers Tower, he would find Hammer’s stuff pretty amazing. But no one can hold a candle to Tony Stark. 

Then Hammer turns to the reporter and grins. “I have something to show you that will change the public’s view of technology as know it,” he says. 

“Can we get any hints?” the reporter asks.

“Just stay right here. It’ll knock your socks off.”

Hammer heads up onto the stage, and for the first time Steve catches a glimpse of Tony. Tony is standing off to the side, staring down at his phone with a small frown, thumbs moving rapidly across the screen. Probably answering email, knowing Tony. The look on his face when he’s forced to lift his head and pay attention to Hammer is the kind of look you’d give something you scraped off the bottom of your shoe.

“Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the HammerTech Expo,” Hammer says, throwing his arms wide. “The first presentation we have for you today is something my company has been working hard on for the past four and a half months. I give you… [Charizard](http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/006.shtml).”

Tony’s head snaps up. Steve straightens his spine, horror curling low in his belly when he sees the enormous orange dragon step out onto the stage. It’s got wings and a mouthful of sharp teeth. It walks with slow, jerky steps to the middle of the stage. Hammer grins smugly, seeming unperturbed that Charizard is a good two feet taller and outweighs him by at least a couple hundred pounds.

“Oh shit,” Darcy mutters, which sums up the situation perfectly.

“I am the first to admit that HammerTech didn’t come up with the idea to create actual pokémon,” Hammer says. “But unlike a certain other company, we have no interest in keeping this revolution to ourselves. We’ve been working on pokémon that can be sold to the average person. Imagine… you wake up in the morning and a Mr. Mime makes you breakfast. Late for work? Not a problem with Charizard’s wings. Plumbing broken? That’s fine, Blastoise can give you a shower.

“Pokémon have the ability to transform our world. No longer do we need to worry about our children walking home after dark, not if they have a personalized guard with them. Think about how much faster we can plant a garden or construct a building, or about the level of care that they can help afford to the elderly. And because pokémon don’t require food or water, taking care of them is as simple as plugging them in at night. If you can charge your phone, you can charge your pokémon.”

The idea has merit, Steve has to admit. Hammer’s saying all the right things. The crowd certainly looks entranced. He casts a quick glance around the living room, realizing that most of the team does too - though Bruce, Sam, Bucky and Coulson are all looking skeptical. Steve can’t see Tony on the television anymore, because the camera’s zoomed in, but he’ll bet his entire bank account that Tony is horrified right now.

“HammerTech is still ironing out the details, of course, but we’re hoping to get the first pokémon on the market by Christmas.” Hammer does a little bow. “Now, I’d like to give a demonstration of Charizard’s power, and then we’ll open the floor to questions. Charizard, use Ember!”

Charizard eyes Hammer, then opens its jaws. A ball of fire shoots out and destroys the array of targets set up at the far edge of the stage. The crowd goes _wild_ , cheering and screaming. Amidst the chaos, a reporter frantically waves his hand until Hammer points to him.

“Mr. Hammer, how much are you expecting these pokémon to cost?” he asks.

“We haven’t decided yet. Prices will range depending on the pokémon,” says Hammer. “Right now it costs a lot of money to build one prototype. Charizard here cost nearly $500,000 to manufacture. We’re hoping to streamline the process, and that prices will start somewhere in the range of $10,000 and increase from there.”

Steve winces. That’s a heck of a lot of money.

“Will you be doing different evolutions?” another reporter calls out.

“Yes, that’s the plan. Eventually we may develop some kind of program that allows you trade your pokémon in for the next evolution, but still keep the same basic pokémon.”

“Mr. Stark, what do you think about all this?”

Hammer’s smile tightens as Tony steps into view on camera. 

“I think it’s a dumb idea,” Tony says flatly, something dark in his eyes above a frozen smile. “Paying $10,000 – or more, and I can guarantee you it will be more – for a shoddy piece of crap that will break the first time you try to battle with it? Waste of money.”

Hammer sputters. “It’s not shoddy! This is top notch HammerTech!”

Tony just looks at him as though to say, exactly. But all he says is, “Besides, it will never fly. Literally, but I also bet you don’t have permission from Nintendo to be using their creation, do you? They’ll be leaning on you heavily for royalties. Not to mention, have you stopped to think about maintenance? You really want the average person trying to pour fuel into a Charizard? Or worse, deciding that the fuel is too expensive and using propane. Or gas. Or diesel. I’m sure HammerTech will step forward when the explosions inevitably start, right?”

“That won’t happen. We’ve put failsafe procedures in place –”

Tony’s laugh is filled with bitterness. “Have you now? And have you put in a failsafe for what happens when people start battling? Committing crimes? Killing each other?”

The crowd is absolutely silent now. So is the living room. Even Hammer looks speechless.

“There’s a reason why I’m not rolling pokémon out for the public, Justin. It’s not because I want to keep people from having them, or because I wouldn’t like the money. It’s because pokémon, in the wrong hands, are dangerous weapons. Weapons that could kill a lot of people.” Tony visibly swallows. “You can’t just do things that you _think_ are right without paying attention to the possible consequences. Even if you did it for the right reasons. Life doesn’t work that way; that’s how people end up dead.”

Shit. Oh shit. Steve knows what’s brought this on. Pepper’s eyes have filled with tears and she has a hand over her mouth, her free hand digging into Rhodes’s arm.

“And what about you?” Hammer finally says, sounding somewhere between pissed and bewildered. “You think you’re exempt from what you just said?”

“Not at all. There’s a failsafe built into my pokémon. If certain parameters are tripped, boom. They go dead and it will take my personal attention to make them function again. Did you happen to think of that when you were building your pokémon for any jack that can swing together a couple thousand bucks?”

Hammer’s silence says it all.

“That’s what I thought.” Tony seems to realize, finally, that they’re being filmed, and his tone softens a little. “You had the right idea. It was a good thought. Maybe someday –”

“Oh shut up, Stark,” Hammer snaps. “Don’t patronize me. You’re jealous that Charizard is a step above whatever you could create.”

“Really,” Tony says, making his eyes wide and innocent. Plusle and Minun appear by his feet, and even to Steve’s uneducated eyes, the difference between the pokémon is startling. Tony’s pokémon move with fluidity, to the point where they look almost natural; if it weren’t for their unusual appearance, no one would know they weren’t living animals. By contract, Hammer’s pokémon moves jerkily, often starting a movement several times before following through, and it’s got a hard, unnatural look to it. 

Steve glances to the side at Braviary, noting the perfectly arrayed feathers. There’s no doubt in his mind that the feathers are real, and hand dyed with the best dye on the market (and that’s if Tony didn’t create a dye just for that purpose). This kind of intimate attention Tony pays to details is making Hammer’s pokémon look like something a child would create in comparison to a master.

Hammer visibly puffs up. “Charizard, use Ember!” he yells.

“What the fuck –” Clint blurts, because Tony is standing _right there_ , and at the same time Tony’s lips move, too quiet for the camera to pick up. 

“PLUS!”

“MIN!”

The crackle of electricity never gets less impressive. Minun’s and Plusle’s aim is perfect; Charizard goes down in a heap, sparking and twitching, long before it even gets its mouth open to attack. Seconds later, there’s a small spurt of fuel, a shower of sparks and the whole thing goes up in flames.

The recording stops then, leaving the screen blanket for a split second before it switches back to a clearly shaken reporter in the newsroom. “And that was footage live from HammerTech,” she says, “Where billionaire Tony Stark really shook things up. In other news –”

"Mute, JARVIS," Coulson says.

'That... was not what I was expecting to watch. Did you know about that?" Rhodes says, looking at Pepper.

She shakes her head. "No, I... Nintendo didn't mention it to me when I was working things out with them for Tony, and I would've said something if I'd known. I guess we should've seen it coming... Tony's pokémon have attracted a lot of attention. This is only going to make matters worse." She looks around the room. Her pokémon yips softly and leans in, rubbing its head against Pepper's arm in an attempt at comfort. Pepper freezes for a split second before setting a shaky hand on the pokémon's head.

"Well, someone has to go down and talk to Tony when he gets here," says Sam. It takes Steve a moment to realize that Sam is staring pointedly at him.

"Me?" he squeaks. "Surely Pepper or Rhodes or Bruce..."

Bruce, who has pokémon on his knee and has been staring at in silent wonder the whole times, shakes his head and sinks down into the couch. Pepper and Rhodes look at each other. Rhodes doesn't seem especially pleased by the idea, and it's Pepper who finally speaks. "If you wouldn't mind, Steve, we'd appreciate it. Sometimes it seems like no matter how much I talk to Tony, none of what I say actually sinks in. Maybe you're the one person who can get through to him."

"Tell him thanks," Bucky mutters, and there are general murmurs of agreement around the room.

"And maybe tell him to stop being such an idiot," Coulson says, shooting Steve a meaningful look that encompasses way more than words can say. Coulson wants Steve to stop being an idiot, too. Steve flushes.

"Just remember." That's all Rhodes says, but the expression on his face says way more. 

"I will," Steve says, his heart pounding in his chest. Natasha steps up beside him and he glances at her.

"Tell him that we miss him," she says quietly, 

Steve nods at her and turns towards the elevator. Braviary takes off with one massive swoop of its wing and flies into the elevator ahead of him. Dummy follows, and the pokémon ends up perching on top of Dummy's claw with its wings spread wide for balance. As soon as the doors open to the workshop, Braviary starts flying around the room. It looks very comfortable, which means that this isn't the first time that it has made this flight. Steve watches for a few minutes, awed, wondering just how long Tony has been down here building these miraculous creatures for the team without saying a damn word about it.

"Your creator is a little dumb sometimes," he says to Dummy, gently patting the 'bot on the claw. Dummy beeps at him, which for all Steve knows means he's defending Tony, but he thinks Dummy knows what he means. 

He sits down on the little couch in the workshop and waits. He's always like Tony's workshop; he used to spend time down here after the Battle of New York, before everything went sideways. Ever since they left the facility and returned to the tower, Steve rarely comes down here. No one does, now that he thinks about it, not even Bruce or Rhodes. Not because Tony's told them they're not welcome, but because this is Tony's private area and, since he's been distancing himself from the team, it feels a little like an intrusion. Or at least it does for Steve. Today is the first time he's felt welcome down here for ages.

It doesn't take Tony long to come home. He emerges from the elevator, already yanking at his suit jacket, muttering and cursing under his breath. Minun and Plusle go streaking by as Tony balls the jacket up and chucks it into the depths of his workshop, something which would normally make Steve wince because that suit probably cost upwards of $5,000. Today, though, he just sits quickly until Tony spots Braviary. The surprise, which fades quickly into devastation, has Steve instantly jumping to his feet.

"Tony," he says, maybe a little too desperate and loud, because he can see where Tony's jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Tony startles badly. "St - Cap? What the - a little warning next time, JARVIS!"

"My apologies, sir," JARVIS says, but he definitely doesn't sound apologetic. Judging by the scowl on Tony's face, he knows it.

"Traitorous machines," Tony mumbles. "What are you doing down here, Cap? Come to return my gift? Too patriotic for your tastes?"

"No. No, actually, I came to thank you. She's perfect," Steve says, deciding on impulse that Braviary is female, and knows he's said the right thing when Tony brightens just a little.

"She is, isn't she? She's smart too. All of them are; they're designed to learn, so you can work with her... maybe she can learn to catch your shield after you throw it or something like that. They have these things in the pokémon world called combo attacks. I've been reading up on them and they're really interesting. That's what gave me the idea for Thor and Raikou; I thought it would be awesome if Thor actually had a pokémon that he could work with -"

"Tony," Steve says gently, interrupting the rambling before Tony really gets wounds up. "The rest of the team wanted me to say thank you for them as well. What you did for us... it's really amazing." He can’t help looking at Braviary again. Now Minun is riding on Braviary’s back, the both of them chasing Plusle, and only Tony Stark could create machines that legitimately look happy.

"It's not that big of a deal. It's no different than me updating Clint's arrows or Nat's Widow Bite."

"Exactly. You do all of this stuff for us and you never let anyone do anything for you. Hell, up until a little while ago I don't think anyone even realized we don't do anything for you. It was a big oversight on our part, Tony. I thought you were pulling away from us because you were angry. It wasn't until you made Plusle and Minun and fixed Bucky's arm that I realized you'd been trying in your own way all along. We were just too stupid to understand."

"I wasn't trying anything," says Tony, turning away. "You're misinterpreting the situation, Rogers. This is all just to keep the collective asses of everyone on the team safe so that I don't have to try to be everywhere at once. Like Clint, that dumbass. At least if he jumps off a roof now and Thor, Sam and I can't get there, something will be able to slow his fall."

It's a good thing that Tony isn't looking at him because Steve can't hide his fond smile. He already suspected that Tony put a lot of thought into building the pokémon for the team, but this just confirms it. He's positive that, given enough time to coax the information out Tony, there would be proof that each pokémon was deliberately chosen for very purposeful reasons. 

"That's a real comfort. I'm sure Laura and Phil will appreciate it."

Tony shrugs. "i figured you all knew. You were sucking up to me. I thought you just wanted your pokémon."

"We weren't -" Steve cuts himself off, feeling a growing need to bang his own head against the wall. They've been going about this all wrong. Why didn't they realize sooner that Tony doesn't take well to subtlety? He makes himself say, very calmly, "No, Tony, we didn't know. It was a surprise for everyone."

"Oh. You're welcome, I guess. Is that all you came down for, Cap?"

"No. I saw you on television with Hammer. Are you -" He's about to ask if Tony's okay, but instead Tony lets out a bitter laugh.

"Ah, I understand it now. You saw that I'd built a bunch of robots again and were concerned about another Ultron situation happening, weren't you? And you heard me mention the failsafe and you're thinking that I was just making things up to make Hammer look bad. Well, think again. First of all, I don't have to lie about anything to make that douchebag look bad. Secondly, I actually did install a failsafe. Even Minun and Plusle have one. And before you start, it's not in my hands. Say hello to Pokémon Master JARVIS. Because of Ultron, because of Vision, he almost died. So I figured that JARVIS was the best person I knew to control the pokémon. If it came to that, if anything ever went wrong, JARVIS would shut them all down permanently. He can't be compromised the way I can, so -"

Steve listens to this spiel in growing horror. He can't believe this is what Tony thinks the team thinks of him. He finally snaps into action, quickly moving over to Tony and gently taking hold of his shoulders, shutting him up instantly. Tony stares up at him with wide, uncertain eyes, and all Steve wants to do is kiss him until Tony never looks that way again.

"That's not why I came down here," he says. "Though I'll admit I am glad to hear that JARVIS will be monitoring our pokémon, I was worried about you. I know Minun and Plusle are important to you and Hammer tried to attack them - and you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Tony says shortly. "You can go."

It's times like this that Steve wishes he were better with words. He wants to say that Tony's not fine, that he can clearly see how not fine Tony is. But he knows from experience that Tony won't respond well to that. They're going to have to start small. And be a lot less subtle. Sam's right, much as Steve hates to admit it. 

"I'd rather you had lunch with me," Steve says. He's not sure where it comes from. It just slips out.

Tony's eyes go wide. "What?"

"Lunch. With me. Like a date," Steve adds, before Tony can think that it's just a lunch with friends. "With me."

"You said that already," Tony says, but absently. "I - why?"

"Because I like you. I'd like to think that you like me."

"You hate me."

"I don't hate you. I don't think I could ever hate you," Steve says, wincing internally. Tony thinks they _hate_ him? He thinks that and he's still given them food and shelter and weapons and pokémon? No one would ever put Tony Stark and generous in the same sentence, but Steve's starting to think Tony's picture should be in the dictionary beside the definition.

Tony just looks at him for the longest time, eyebrows drawn together, like he's trying and failing to compute the situation. Finally, he says, "Is this your weird way of saying thank you?"

"Jesus, Tony, no."

"Language," Tony says automatically, but his mouth is twitching. "Okay. Sure. Lunch. Except... I'd rather not leave the tower right now. It's going to be a media storm for the next couple of days."

"That's fine. We can order in? And maybe you can tell me more about the pokémon."

Tony finally smiles. Just a little, but it's there. "Sounds good, Cap."

"Steve."

"What?"

"I want you to call me Steve."

"... Steve," Tony says at last, with a hint of question, but Steve just grins at how his name sounds coming from Tony's lips, and it's even better when Tony gives him a real smile back.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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